The Bible:320Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMSpr3fPCV
But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone (Mark 13:32)
VTT Global News:320Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTr90TndySk
VTT news can report that the war between Russia and Ukraine is raging on without any side making any considerable gains. Both sides are experiencing huge losses and even if the war ends today, some analysts have said that the region would take decades to rebuild and recover. One thing that will scar the Ukranians and the Russians forever is the loss of life. It is estimated that over 500,000 people have been killed so far on both sides. On top of that, you have civilian losses which include children. Over 7 million people have been displaced and are refugees. The war is not suspected to end soon. Neither side is willing to compromise. Both countries are getting weapons from other countries. These weapons are becoming more and more powerful. Who would have imagined that countries would donate jet fighters to Ukraine at the start of the war? Another thing to consider is that this war has split the East and West and some wonder how will the East and West ever compromise and try to create a better world. The Cold War is back and has never been colder!
Bishop O’Keeffe:320Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhd3s9K1Xjx
I come from a Catholic family. My parents are devoted Catholics. They are old and retired now. They wake up every day at 5 a.m. to pray and then go to daily mass. They never question their Catholic faith and believe everything that the Church says. They pray a lot of Novenas and Rosaries. At the same time, I had never seen them read the Bible. This was the family that I was raised in. I have a brother and a sister. I never did get on with my older brother. He was always a moron and a bully. I remember once that he chased me around the table with a kitchen table with a knife. On the other hand, I have a close relationship with my older sister. She is a kind person and always took care of me. When she was a teenager, she was very interested in what clothes she wore and wanted to look the best. I have also seen her as a diva. All in all, I came from a good family. I know my parents could be strict and they did not show a lot of affection, but they did give me a good start in my life.
Father Darby:320Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNXRQFGTm5
I met Bishop O'Keeffe when we were at the priest's Seminary. I always thought that he was a strange candidate to be a priest. He seemed to be interested in worldly things such as music. He also was very obsessed with how his hair looked. Bishop O'Keeffe was a rebel. I mean should a priest be a huge fan of Madonna? That woman has values and an image that the Church dislikes. Still, God does work in mysterious ways. I am sure he needed any priest who would give his life of service to the Church. There are very few that wants to be a priest now. God's wisdom is nothing humans will ever understand. As it turns out, Bishop O'Keeffe always had ambition, so this is probably why he is now a bishop. As for me, I am a simple hard hard-working parish priest. My faith is the most important part of my life. The fact that I am proud to be a son of God and a follower of Jesus means a lot more to me than the latest smartphone or the best clothes. Materialistic things and entertainment last only for a short while. My faith is constant and will last for eternity. It is the one thing that keeps me humble. I want as many people as possible to know that Jesus is their saviour and friend. I do not know what Bishop O’Keeffe’s aim in life is, as we never do talk about faith. He is my best friend and I know he is part of God's plan!
Andrew:320Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjKgWrCwKU
I am Bishop O’Keeffe’s older brother. He has always been a sissy and a wimp. He was afraid to stand up for himself. He always used his mouth to attack people. It did not surprise me that he joined the priesthood. My brother has always been afraid of life and I would imagine he would enjoy the life that a priest has. He would never have to worry about money or getting unemployed. The Church would feed him and make sure he lived a comfortable life. I would hate being a priest. To be honest, I do not have any faith. If there is a God, then he is a weak God. He is afraid to show his face and expects us to worship him and have a bad conscience about how we live. This is hypocritical. The Catholic Church is the most corrupt institution in the world. It has investments in everything including the arms industry, its priests abuse children and the priests are protected by bishops so they do not get punished. The Catholic Church has been responsible for the worst human rights infringements in the world. Who will ever forget the inquisitions? My brother is part of this. As for me, I do not need God!
Chloe:320Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpurldtcqrd
I am Bishop O'Keeffe's older sister. I am proud of his success in the Church. Sometimes, I do think that he became a priest because he is gay. What better place to be gay than with other priests? Now do not get me wrong, I do not have a problem if my brother is gay. I have a son who goes to college and he just told me that he is gay. I was silent when he told me that. I know that my husband will go berserk when he hears it. He is an old-fashioned man who is nearly puritan. Too many people judge each other. You can only open the newspaper and you read people arguing about things such as abortion, same-sex marriage or transgenders. People should not enforce their morality on others. My son may be gay but as an adult, he is old enough to make his own decisions now. What difference does it make what the Bible says as long as he does not hurt anyone? The only thing that I want is for him to be happy. To be honest, I am not worried about my son. I am more worried about my daughter. I could be selfish as I realized that my son would never give me grandchildren. Then again, who wants to have a child in the world today? It is getting more and more crazy. Humans are destroying the planet we live on and there are so many crazy people. I feel sorry for the next generation.
Bishop O’Keeffe:320Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRYwgdNMxB
Today I visited an old priest who was on his deathbed. This was a man who dedicated his life to the Church. The Church is a very different place than the one he knew. Less people are interested in religion. They would spend hours dancing at some club and have no problem and yet praying for one hour is a waste of time for them. There are many Churches that are being closed now because there are not enough priests. It does not help that people no longer trust the priests. The child abuse scandals have done a lot of damage. The growing liberalist attitude that everything is allowed also makes the Church look out of date. As I looked down at the dying priest, I could not help but think that his life was wasted. What if there is no God? What has he to show at the end of his 81 years? The old priest looked up at me and said, “God has plans for you. You are very important for the time that is coming. I know you doubt a lot and your faith is not strong. It will be. You need to be strong and have faith and trust in Jesus.” The old priest gave me his old worn-out Bible and persuaded me to read it.
Andrew:320Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhEu6Xz91V
It was a busy day at work today. I am a police officer in the same village I grew up in. People can say a lot of bad things about me, but I was the only child who was still around to take care of my parents. My sister was living in some big city trying to live the high life while my brother was too busy trying to be a saint. I feel like that I was my parent's child that they should be most proud of. This is not the case. They are so proud of my saintly brother. Maybe this is because they are so religious and he is doing God's work. I no longer go to Church. I believe in God but think he is very weak and expects us to worship him unconditionally. He does not care about us! The Church preaches that we are sinners and everything we do can be considered a sin. There is no compassion and understanding. God expects us to acknowledge our sins and to be punished for them. As far as I am concerned, God has abandoned us. It is the strongest that survives and a person must stand up for himself. There are too many weak people in this world. I can see that in my job. So many people accept being victims in today's world. They are weak and expect others to help them. I admit, that I do like my job, It makes me feel powerful as can put people behind bars or turn a blind eye.
Chloe:320Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8f2dczyHQg
Do you ever think that something is missing in life? I should be a very happy woman. I have a good job and I am well off. I have the best clothes and I love my little car. Still, there was chaos when I came home from work today. My husband was fighting with my son. It appears as if my son was in a gay photoshoot to earn some money. He could have just asked us for money. I know how hard it is to be a student. It did worry me that my son was thinking of stopping college and doing this model within the adult entertainment industry full-time. It's not that I think that it is wrong. It's not like he is hurting anyone. I am also sure he could become rich doing it. The thing that I worry about is how it could harm my son. Are there drugs involved? Will he end up prostituting himself? Does he want to be known as a gay porno star? Still, he is an adult now. He has to make his own choices. My husband does not like this career move. He threatened to kick my son out of the house. Does my husband not realize that this would only make things worse for us and our son?
VTT Global News:320Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqVmzNz4ym
A man now claims to be Jesus in Mexico. He claims that he is here to protect people from the immoral practices taking place in the world and from the evil Islamic people. The man lives on a compound in rural Mexico where his followers toil all day long so they are self-sufficient. About 4000 people have now joined this man. They have given him all their possessions and life savings. While they live in slumlike conditions, he lives in a newly built luxurious house. His followers think that there is no problem with this, as they think the son of God should not live in poor conditions. Some families of this man's followers are worried. The people on the compound are not allowed to contact anyone who does not live there. Living conditions are very bad. Some of this man's teachings are strange but accepted by his followers. These teachings include that women have no rights and children have no education because they are needed to work on the farm. The man who calls himself Jesus preaches that the world will end soon and only his followers will be saved.
